Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 327,000 pickups equipped with engine block heaters because cable splice connectors might have inadvertently been damaged during a service procedure for a previous recall and now pose a fire risk.
The affected F-150 and Super Duty trucks are a subset of the 874,000 vehicles recalled during December 2018 to fix a wiring problem. So far, there is no immediate fix available.
Ford said in a statement that it is aware of a fire in the United States and one in Canada that may be related to block heater usage following the successful completion of the 2018 recall. Ford is also aware of an additional report of fire in Canada, which led to the initial recall last year.
There are now 131,068 affected vehicles in the United States and federalized territories and about 196,269 in Canada being recalled for a second time.
Affected vehicles include:
- 2015-19 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan from March 18, 2014, to Nov. 17, 2018, and at Kansas City Assembly Plant from Aug. 21, 2014, to Nov. 17, 2018;
- 2017-19 Ford F-series Super Duty vehicles built at Ohio Assembly Plant from Feb. 5, 2016, to Nov. 17, 2018, and at Kentucky Truck Plant from Oct. 8, 2015, to Nov. 17, 2018.
Ford warns a damaged block heater cable can cause an array of problems for the truck’s owner. Problems include an inoperative engine block heater; tripping of household breakers or GFCI-equipped outlets; or a resistive short, which can increase the risk of overheated or melted wiring and fire while the vehicle is parked and the block heater is plugged in.
Dealers will disable the vehicle’s engine block heater cable by cutting off the plug end prongs and sealing the end cap with silicone sealant. Customers will be notified when an engine block replacement cable is available.
